Revelation, and the God Revealed in It

(All Bible texts are in the NKJV Bible unless otherwise
indicated)

Memory text: Hebrews 1:1, 2

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to
the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His
Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He
made the worlds”

Sabbath Afternoon

Psalm 19:1

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his
handywork.

Sunday – The Doctrine of Scripture

2 Peter 1:19-21

19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to
heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and
the morning star rises in your hearts;20 knowing this first, that no
prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy
never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were
moved by the Holy Spirit.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly
equipped for every good work.

Matthew 4:4

4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:7

7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the
LORD your God.’”

Matthew 4:10

10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written,
‘You shall worship theLORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

Matthew 22:41-46

41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42
saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”

They said to Him, “The Son of David.”

43 He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’
saying:

44 ‘The LORD said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”’?

45 If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” 46 And no one
was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare
question Him anymore.

John 10:34-35

34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You
are gods”’? 35 If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came
(and the Scripture cannot be broken),

Monday – The Nature of Inspiration

Ellen White, Selected Messages, Book 1, p. 21

The
Bible is written by inspired men, but it is not God’s mode of thought
and expression. It is that of humanity. God, as a writer, is not
represented. Men will often say such an expression is not like God. But
God has not put Himself in words, in logic, in rhetoric, on trial in
the Bible. The writers of the Bible were God’s penmen, not His pen.
Look at the different writers. {1SM 21.1}

It is not the words of
the Bible that are inspired, but the men that were inspired.
Inspiration acts not on the man’s words or his expressions but on the
man himself, who, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, is imbued with
thoughts. But the words receive the impress of the individual mind. The
divine mind is diffused. The divine mind and will is combined with the
human mind and will; thus the utterances of the man are the word of
God.—Manuscript 24, 1886 (written in Europe in 1886)

Matthew 27:37

37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS
JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Mark 15:26

26 And the inscription of His accusation was written above:
THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Luke 23:38

38 And an inscription
also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

1 Kings 6:1

1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the
children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth
year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the
second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

Acts 1:18

18 (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and
falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails
gushed out.

Matthew 27:5

5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed,
and went and hanged himself.

Tuesday – The Mystery of the Triune God

Genesis 1:26

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our
likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the
birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over
every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

John 17:3

3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Deuteronomy 6:4

4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!

Mark 12:29

29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O
Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.

Genesis 1:26 (See 4th above)

Genesis 3:22

22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us,
to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also
of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—

Genesis 11:7

7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may
not understand one another’s speech.”

John 1:1-3

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were
made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

John 1:18

18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in
the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

John 20:28

28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

2 Corinthians 13:14

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

Matthew 28:19

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Wednesday – The Attributes of Our Creator

Genesis 1:1

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Hebrews 11:6

6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to
God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who
diligently seek Him.

Romans 10:17

17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Malachi 3:6

6 “For I am the LORD, I do not change;
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.

James 1:17

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down
from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of
turning

1 John 4:8

8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:16

16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is
love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

2 Chronicles 6:18

18 “But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and
the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple
which I have built!

Thursday – The Activities of God

Genesis 11:9

9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused
the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them
abroad over the face of all the earth.

Genesis 19:24

24 Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from
the LORD out of the heavens.

Exodus 3:1-14

1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law,
the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert,
and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the
LORDappeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he
looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush wasnot
consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great
sight, why the bush does not burn.”

4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God
called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your
sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6
Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

7 And the LORD said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people
who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their
taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver
them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that
land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey,
to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and
the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore,
behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have
also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come
now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My
people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to
Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall
be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people
out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the
children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent
me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to
them?”

14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus
you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

John 3:16

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

1 Thessalonians 4:17

17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall
always be with the Lord.

John 19:18

18 where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either
side, and Jesus in the center.

2 Peter 3:12,13

12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day
will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the
elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we
are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where
righteousness dwells.

Friday - Further Study

Ellen White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, pp 746-749

Chapter 90—The Word Made Flesh

The
union of the divine with the human nature is one of the most precious
and most mysterious truths of the plan of redemption. It is this of
which Paul speaks when he says: “Without controversy great is the
mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh.” {5T 746.2}

This
truth has been to many a cause of doubt and unbelief. When Christ came
into the world,—the Son of God and the Son of man,—He was not
understood by the people of His time. Christ stooped to take upon
Himself human nature, that He might reach the fallen race and lift them
up. But the minds of men had become darkened by sin, their faculties
were benumbed and their perceptions dulled, so that they could not
discern His divine character beneath the garb of humanity. This lack of
appreciation on their part was an obstacle to the work which He desired
to accomplish for them; and in order to give force to His teaching he
was often under the necessity of defining and defending His position.
By referring to His mysterious and divine character, He sought to lead
their minds into a train of thought which would be favorable to the
transforming power of truth. Again, He used the things of nature with
which they were familiar, to illustrate divine truth. The soil of the
heart was thus prepared to receive the good seed. He made His hearers
feel that His interests were identified with theirs, that His heart
beat in sympathy with them in their joys and griefs. At the same time
they saw in Him the manifestation of power and excellence far above
that possessed by their most-honored rabbis. The teachings of Christ
were marked with a simplicity, dignity, and power heretofore unknown to
them, and their involuntary exclamation was: “Never man spake like this
Man.” The people listened to Him gladly; but the priests and
rulers—themselves false to their trust as guardians of the truth—hated
Christ for the very grace revealed, which had drawn the multitudes away
from them to follow the Light of life. Through their influence the
Jewish nation, failing to discern His divine character, rejected the
Redeemer. {5T 746.3}

The union of the divine and the human,
manifest in Christ, exists also in the Bible. The truths revealed are
all “given by inspiration of God;” yet they are expressed in the words
of men and are adapted to human needs. Thus it may be said of the Book
of God, as it was of Christ, that “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt
among us.” And this fact, so far from being an argument against the
Bible, should strengthen faith in it as the word of God. Those who
pronounce upon the inspiration of the Scriptures, accepting some
portions as divine while they reject other parts as human, overlook the
fact that Christ, the divine, partook of our human nature, that He
might reach humanity. In the work of God for man’s redemption, divinity
and humanity are combined. {5T 747.1}

There are many passages of
Scripture which skeptical critics have declared to be uninspired, but
which, in their tender adaptation to the needs of men, are God’s own
messages of comfort to His trusting children. A beautiful illustration
of this occurs in the history of the apostle Peter. Peter was in
prison, expecting to be brought forth next day to death; he was
sleeping at night “between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the
keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the
Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote
Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his
chains fell off from his hands.” Peter, suddenly awaking, was amazed at
the brightness that flooded his dungeon, and the celestial beauty of
the heavenly messenger. He understood not the scene, but he knew that
he was free, and in his bewilderment and joy he would have gone forth
from the prison unprotected from the cold night air. The angel of God,
noting all the circumstances, said, with tender care for the apostle’s
need: “Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals.” Peter mechanically
obeyed; but so entranced was he with the revelation of the glory of
heaven that he did not think to take his cloak. Then the angel bade
him: “Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out, and
followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the
angel; but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and
the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the
city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and
passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from
him.” The apostle found himself in the streets of Jerusalem alone. “And
when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety,”—it
was not a dream or a vision, but an actual occurrence,—“that the Lord
hath sent His angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod,
and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.” {5T 748.1}

Skeptics
may sneer at the thought that a glorious angel from heaven should give
attention to a matter so commonplace as caring for these simple human
needs, and may question the inspiration of the narrative. But in the
wisdom of God these things are recorded in sacred history for the
benefit, not of angels, but of men, that as they should be brought into
trying positions they might find comfort in the thought that heaven
knows it all. Jesus declared to His disciples that not a sparrow falls
to the ground without the notice of the heavenly Father, and that if
God can keep in mind the wants of all the little birds of the air, He
will much more care for those who may become the subjects of His
kingdom and through faith in Him may be the heirs of immortality. Oh,
if the human mind were only to comprehend—in such measure as the plan
of redemption can be comprehended by finite minds—the work of Jesus in
taking upon Himself human nature, and what is to be accomplished for us
by this marvelous condescension, the hearts of men would be melted with
gratitude for God’s great love, and in humility they would adore the
divine wisdom that devised the mystery of grace! {5T 749.1}

Ellen White, The Great Controversy, pp. v-vii

Introduction

Before
the entrance of sin, Adam enjoyed open communion with his Maker; but
since man separated himself from God by transgression, the human race
has been cut off from this high privilege. By the plan of redemption,
however, a way has been opened whereby the inhabitants of the earth may
still have connection with heaven. God has communicated with men by His
Spirit, and divine light has been imparted to the world by revelations
to His chosen servants. “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by
the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:21. {GC v.1}

During the first
twenty-five hundred years of human history, there was no written
revelation. Those who had been taught of God, communicated their
knowledge to others, and it was handed down from father to son, through
successive generations. The preparation of the written word began in
the time of Moses. Inspired revelations were then embodied in an
inspired book. This work continued during the long period of sixteen
hundred years—from Moses, the historian of creation and the law, to
John, the recorder of the most sublime truths of the gospel. {GC v.2}

The
Bible points to God as its author; yet it was written by human hands;
and in the varied style of its different books it presents the
characteristics of the several writers. The truths revealed are all
“given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16); yet they are expressed
in the words of men. The Infinite One by His Holy Spirit has shed light
into the minds and hearts of His servants. He has given dreams and
visions, symbols and figures; and those to whom the truth was thus
revealed have themselves embodied the thought in human language. {GC
v.3}

The Ten Commandments were spoken by God Himself, and were
written by His own hand. They are of divine, and not of human
composition. But the Bible, with its God-given truths expressed in the
language of men, presents a union of the divine and the human. Such a
union existed in the nature of Christ, who was the Son of God and the
Son of man. Thus it is true of the Bible, as it was of Christ, that
“the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” John 1:14. {GC v.4}

The
Ten Commandments were spoken by God Himself, and were written by His
own hand. They are of divine, and not of human composition. But the
Bible, with its God-given truths expressed in the language of men,
presents a union of the divine and the human. Such a union existed in
the nature of Christ, who was the Son of God and the Son of man. Thus
it is true of the Bible, as it was of Christ, that “the Word was made
flesh, and dwelt among us.” John 1:14. {GC v.4}

Written in
different ages, by men who differed widely in rank and occupation, and
in mental and spiritual endowments, the books of the Bible present a
wide contrast in style, as well as a diversity in the nature of the
subjects unfolded. Different forms of expression are employed by
different writers; often the same truth is more strikingly presented by
one than by another. And as several writers present a subject under
varied aspects and relations, there may appear, to the superficial,
careless, or prejudiced reader, to be discrepancy or contradiction,
where the thoughtful, reverent student, with clearer insight, discerns
the underlying harmony. {GC vi.1}

As presented through different
individuals, the truth is brought out in its varied aspects. One writer
is more strongly impressed with one phase of the subject; he grasps
those points that harmonize with his experience or with his power of
perception and appreciation; another seizes upon a different phase; and
each, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, presents what is most
forcibly impressed upon his own mind—a different aspect of the truth in
each, but a perfect harmony through all. And the truths thus revealed
unite to form a perfect whole, adapted to meet the wants of men in all
the circumstances and experiences of life. {GC vi.2}

God has been
pleased to communicate His truth to the world by human agencies, and He
Himself, by His Holy Spirit, qualified men and enabled them to do this
work. He guided the mind in the selection of what to speak and what to
write. The treasure was entrusted to earthen vessels, yet it is,
nonetheless, from Heaven. The testimony is conveyed through the
imperfect expression of human language, yet it is the testimony of God;
and the obedient, believing child of God beholds in it the glory of a
divine power, full of grace and truth. {GC vi.3}

In His word, God
has committed to men the knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy
Scriptures are to be accepted as an authoritative, infallible
revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the
revealer of doctrines, and the test of experience. “Every scripture
inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction which is in righteousness; that the man of
God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.” 2
Timothy 3:16, 17, R.V. {GC vii.1}

Yet the fact that God has
revealed His will to men through His word, has not rendered needless
the continued presence and guiding of the Holy Spirit. On the contrary,
the Spirit was promised by our Saviour, to open the word to His
servants, to illuminate and apply its teachings. And since it was the
Spirit of God that inspired the Bible, it is impossible that the
teaching of the Spirit should ever be contrary to that of the word. {GC
vii.2}

The Spirit was not given—nor can it ever be bestowed—to
supersede the Bible; for the Scriptures explicitly state that the word
of God is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be
tested. Says the apostle John, “Believe not every spirit, but try the
spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone
out into the world.” 1 John 4:1. And Isaiah declares, “To the law and
to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is
because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20. {GC vii.3}

Great
reproach has been cast upon the work of the Holy Spirit by the errors
of a class that, claiming its enlightenment, profess to have no further
need of guidance from the word of God. They are governed by impressions
which they regard as the voice of God in the soul. But the spirit that
controls them is not the Spirit of God. This following of impressions,
to the neglect of the Scriptures, can lead only to confusion, to
deception and ruin. It serves only to further the designs of the evil
one. Since the ministry of the Holy Spirit is of vital importance to
the church of Christ, it is one of the devices of Satan, through the
errors of extremists and fanatics, to cast contempt upon the work of
the Spirit and cause the people of God to neglect this source of
strength which our Lord Himself has provided. {GC vii.4}

In
harmony with the word of God, His Spirit was to continue its work
throughout the period of the gospel dispensation. During the ages while
the Scriptures of both the Old and the New Testament were being given,
the Holy Spirit did not cease to communicate light to individual minds,
apart from the revelations to be embodied in the Sacred Canon. The
Bible itself relates how, through the Holy Spirit, men received
warning, reproof, counsel, and instruction, in matters in no way
relating to the giving of the Scriptures. And mention is made of
prophets in different ages, of whose utterances nothing is recorded. In
like manner, after the close of the canon of the Scripture, the Holy
Spirit was still to continue its work, to enlighten, warn, and comfort
the children of God. {GC viii.1}

Jesus promised His disciples,
“The Comforter which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My
name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” “When He, the Spirit of
truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: ... and He will show
you things to come.” John 14:26; 16:13. Scripture plainly teaches that
these promises, so far from being limited to apostolic days, extend to
the church of Christ in all ages. The Saviour assures His followers, “I
am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:20. And
Paul declares that the gifts and manifestations of the Spirit were set
in the church “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in
the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a
perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ.” Ephesians 4:12, 13. {GC viii.2}

For the believers at
Ephesus the apostle prayed, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation
in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being
enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and ...
what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe.”
Ephesians 1:17-19. The ministry of the divine Spirit in enlightening
the understanding and opening to the mind the deep things of God’s holy
word, was the blessing which Paul thus besought for the Ephesian
church. {GC ix.1}

After the wonderful manifestation of the Holy
Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, Peter exhorted the people to repentance
and baptism in the name of Christ, for the remission of their sins; and
he said: “Ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise
is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even
as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Acts 2:38, 39. {GC ix.2}

In
immediate connection with the scenes of the great day of God, the Lord
by the prophet Joel has promised a special manifestation of His Spirit.
Joel 2:28. This prophecy received a partial fulfillment in the
outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost; but it will reach its
full accomplishment in the manifestation of divine grace which will
attend the closing work of the gospel. {GC ix.3}

The great
controversy between good and evil will increase in intensity to the
very close of time. In all ages the wrath of Satan has been manifested
against the church of Christ; and God has bestowed His grace and Spirit
upon His people to strengthen them to stand against the power of the
evil one. When the apostles of Christ were to bear His gospel to the
world and to record it for all future ages, they were especially
endowed with the enlightenment of the Spirit. But as the church
approaches her final deliverance, Satan is to work with greater power.
He comes down “having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but
a short time.” Revelation 12:12. He will work “with all power and signs
and lying wonders.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9. For six thousand years that
mastermind that once was highest among the angels of God has been
wholly bent to the work of deception and ruin. And all the depths of
satanic skill and subtlety acquired, all the cruelty developed, during
these struggles of the ages, will be brought to bear against God’s
people in the final conflict. And in this time of peril the followers
of Christ are to bear to the world the warning of the Lord’s second
advent; and a people are to be prepared to stand before Him at His
coming, “without spot, and blameless.” 2 Peter 3:14. At this time the
special endowment of divine grace and power is not less needful to the
church than in apostolic days. {GC ix.4}

Through the illumination
of the Holy Spirit, the scenes of the long-continued conflict between
good and evil have been opened to the writer of these pages. From time
to time I have been permitted to behold the working, in different ages,
of the great controversy between Christ, the Prince of life, the Author
of our salvation, and Satan, the prince of evil, the author of sin, the
first transgressor of God’s holy law. Satan’s enmity against Christ has
been manifested against His followers. The same hatred of the
principles of God’s law, the same policy of deception, by which error
is made to appear as truth, by which human laws are substituted for the
law of God, and men are led to worship the creature rather than the
Creator, may be traced in all the history of the past. Satan’s efforts
to misrepresent the character of God, to cause men to cherish a false
conception of the Creator, and thus to regard Him with fear and hate
rather than with love; his endeavors to set aside the divine law,
leading the people to think themselves free from its requirements; and
his persecution of those who dare to resist his deceptions, have been
steadfastly pursued in all ages. They may be traced in the history of
patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, of martyrs and reformers. {GC x.1}

In
the great final conflict, Satan will employ the same policy, manifest
the same spirit, and work for the same end as in all preceding ages.
That which has been, will be, except that the coming struggle will be
marked with a terrible intensity such as the world has never witnessed.
Satan’s deceptions will be more subtle, his assaults more determined.
If it were possible, he would lead astray the elect. Mark 13:22, R.V.
{GC xi.1}

As the Spirit of God has opened to my mind the great
truths of His word, and the scenes of the past and the future, I have
been bidden to make known to others that which has thus been
revealed—to trace the history of the controversy in past ages, and
especially so to present it as to shed a light on the fast-approaching
struggle of the future. In pursuance of this purpose, I have endeavored
to select and group together events in the history of the church in
such a manner as to trace the unfolding of the great testing truths
that at different periods have been given to the world, that have
excited the wrath of Satan, and the enmity of a world-loving church,
and that have been maintained by the witness of those who “loved not
their lives unto the death.” {GC xi.2}

In these records we may
see a foreshadowing of the conflict before us. Regarding them in the
light of God’s word, and by the illumination of His Spirit, we may see
unveiled the devices of the wicked one, and the dangers which they must
shun who would be found “without fault” before the Lord at His coming.
{GC xi.3}

The great events which have marked the progress of
reform in past ages are matters of history, well known and universally
acknowledged by the Protestant world; they are facts which none can
gainsay. This history I have presented briefly, in accordance with the
scope of the book, and the brevity which must necessarily be observed,
the facts having been condensed into as little space as seemed
consistent with a proper understanding of their application. In some
cases where a historian has so grouped together events as to afford, in
brief, a comprehensive view of the subject, or has summarized details
in a convenient manner, his words have been quoted; but in some
instances no specific credit has been given, since the quotations are
not given for the purpose of citing that writer as authority, but
because his statement affords a ready and forcible presentation of the
subject. In narrating the experience and views of those carrying
forward the work of reform in our own time, similar use has been made
of their published works. {GC xi.4}

It is not so much the object
of this book to present new truths concerning the struggles of former
times, as to bring out facts and principles which have a bearing on
coming events. Yet viewed as a part of the controversy between the
forces of light and darkness, all these records of the past are seen to
have a new significance; and through them a light is cast upon the
future, illumining the pathway of those who, like the reformers of past
ages, will be called, even at the peril of all earthly good, to witness
“for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” {GC xii.1}

To
unfold the scenes of the great controversy between truth and error; to
reveal the wiles of Satan, and the means by which he may be
successfully resisted; to present a satisfactory solution of the great
problem of evil, shedding such a light upon the origin and the final
disposition of sin as to make fully manifest the justice and
benevolence of God in all His dealings with His creatures; and to show
the holy, unchanging nature of His law, is the object of this book.
That through its influence souls may be delivered from the power of
darkness, and become “partakers of the inheritance of the saints in
light,” to the praise of Him who loved us, and gave Himself for us, is
the earnest prayer of the writer. {GC xii.2}

Ellen G. White, The
Great Controversy, pp. 8, 9

“God has been pleased to communicate His
truth to the world by human agencies, and He Himself, by His Holy
Spirit, qualified men and enabled them to do this work. He guided the
mind in the selection of what to speak and what to write. The treasure
was entrusted to earthen vessels, yet it is, nonetheless, from Heaven.
The testimony is conveyed through the imperfect expression of human
language, yet it is the testimony of God; and the obedient, believing
child of God beholds in it the glory of a divine power, full of grace
and truth.

“In His word, God has committed to men the knowledge
necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are to be accepted as an
authoritative, infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard
of character, the revealer of doctrines, and the test of experience.
‘Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness;
that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every
good work.’ 2 Timothy 3:16-17.”